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Our Bureau

New Delhi , Dec. 23

PRE-PAID card users need not worry anymore about recharging their coupons every month. AirTel has launched a plan that allows users to take a pre-paid connection with lifetime validity for a one time payment of Rs 999. Subscribers availing themselves of this scheme will also get full talk time for the recharge coupon they purchase and also have the option to buy Taiwanese manufactured Bird mobile handsets for as low as Rs 1,399.

The move is aimed at stopping the churn in the pre-paid subscriber base. Once a subscriber takes this plan, he will always be an Airtel subscriber whether the mobile is being used or not. Tata Teleservices had earlier launched a similar plan and had got one million new subscribers within the first 45 days of the launch. Under the existing schemes, pre-paid users get a maximum of one-year validity after which the connection is terminated if the user does not recharge the coupon. The new scheme will enable the subscriber to receive incoming calls without paying any money for the entire life.

Mr Manoj Kohli, President, Mobility, Bharti Tele-Ventures, said, "In keeping with the tradition of pioneering innovations in the telecom sector, Airtel has made yet another significant move. The Lifetime Prepaid offering card is testimony to our customer-centric focus."

Mr Hemant Sachdev, Group Chief Marketing Officer and Director-Mobility, Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd, "The new lifetime prepaid from Airtel takes affordability to a whole new level. It will open up new segments of the market from the very young to the old, from small towns to rural clusters. It is yet another revolutionary offering and falls in line with

our commitment to making mobile a way of life in India."

There is no change in the airtime charges. All local calls will be charged at Rs 1.99 a minute and all STD calls will be charged at Rs 2.99 a minute.

"With this offer, AirTel breaks all conventional barriers by empowering its customers the right to choose the time to recharge while continuing to enjoy uninterrupted world class services from Airtel for a lifetime," said a press release.

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